A CAREER IN THE ARTS

In this Article, Titani Chalira, a Bachelor of Arts graduate from the University of Malawi takes us through his study of the Arts. He presents a unique view of the Arts. Titani argues that studying the Arts gives one many career opportunities based on the study content which is diverse. He says, “With the Arts degree, you can literally become anything!”

 Read more below.

A Bachelor of Arts (BA) is a degree rewarded to students who complete an undergraduate program that typically lasts four years. This type of degree can be focused on the sciences, liberal arts, or a mixture of the two. I studied the Bachelor of Arts in Humanities at the University of Malawi. 

When I set my mind on studying the Arts, no one was convinced that my idea would be good career wise. It was even worse when those people whose opinions I held highly did not seem to like my choice. My classmates did not help matters. Most of them looked down upon the course and seemed to keep on, just to get by.

However, I was set to do the course. I was determined merely because I was interested in literature and philosophy. I had wanted to know more in these two disciplines. Career prospects were not my main consideration at the time.

In hind sight, I can relate as to why a lot more detested my choice. The primary consideration for them was my career opportunities and the ability I would have to fend for myself, if I were to study something that would make me employable. They were being practical and to blame them would be wrong.

Time went by and it has been years since I graduated. If I were to be asked ‘would you choose studying for a BA, again?’ Definitely my answer would be in the affirmative. There are a lot of things that I learnt which are beneficial to my life and society at large. I am studying law and will become a lawyer thanks to my BA degree which was foundational. I write for a big media house (Montfort media) because of the communication skills the BA degree gave me.

There are important skills that one acquires when studying for this degree which give one a competitive edge in terms of employment or whenever one decides to have a go at personal ventures.

Skills that a person acquires after studying for a BA are often termed ‘soft skills’. These soft skills include; team work skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills and flexibility or adaptability skills.

 In the process of studying for a BA degree one is subjected to courses that have content which requires working in groups constantly. For instance, theatre and drama students are challenged to put up performances in form of plays. In the process team work skills are developed. This skill set is transferable.

Employers prefer administrators who do not only know their given work but those who can easily work in a team and who realize that optimal results require synergy/ team work. So, going for a BA degree would be ideal for one to learn team work which makes one employable as an administrator.     

Apart from being certified, most employers look for employees who can carry the vision of an organization and clearly communicate it. This is because organisations render services in a competitive set up. So in order to thrive, there is always a need to communicate the vision of an organization with clarity and persuasively.

 Graduates of a BA degree become probable public relations employees. Most of the courses involve writing copious amounts of information and speaking especially in courses that demand performances. As a result acquisition of better writing, speaking and persuasive skills happen. These skills being transferable make a BA graduate employable in any set up, because they are cross-cutting skills.

The content of a BA degree comprises courses like philosophy and literature which present simulated scenarios that push students to creatively come up with solutions. This is complemented by courses which are accompanied with actual performances. Thus, community mobilization ventures that are done through play performances whether assessed or not, are a spring-board for consolidation of problem-solving skills.

Through literature a BA graduate would be able to envision a situation and walk in the shoes of a person he or she is dealing with. This is because it is how one comes up with a literary review in literature. Empathy is the problem-solving skill that is attained in the long run.

It is therefore preferable to have an employees with this skill, because such people will be able to negotiate through deals and have the welfare of those under them at heart, a thing which is healthy for any organization.  

Play performances which are used for community mobilization bring forth a skill set of persuasion and creativity. Thus, students are able to make meaning of events ordinarily thought to be of no use. They use such events to bring desirable perspectives which if followed would contribute to positive change.

Communities are then persuaded and mobilized to act upon their daily challenges. This skills set can make BA graduates better community mobilization officers. There are situations in organisations or in personal ventures that do not come with a manual but need someone to make sense of them and creatively come up with solutions. BA graduates fit hand in glove when it comes to these situations. So, employment prospects are likely there and it is not a waste to consider studying for a BA degree.

Studying for BA degree presents challenging scenarios where a person is exposed to content that is radically in contrast to one’s beliefs at times. For instance, atheism in philosophy for a believer, ideas on minority rights and a wide range of literature on different topics. This develops tolerance.

Therefore, a BA graduate grows to become flexible and can easily adapt. He or she can easily work with those holding radically different views. The ability to take different roles in performances becomes a skill set important in any organization. Many employers would prefer employing someone who can adapt and take many roles considering the trend that is there to combine roles as a cost-effective measure.

Apart from these skills making one employable, they are also used when personal development is the consideration. With the same skill sets one can easily and subsequently study law, marketing, administration and journalism.

For the youth I dare say go for BA degree, the world is an oyster for you!

Where you can study the BA in Malawi

University of Malawi

Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences